Sep 17 (Rupavahini) President Chandrika Kumaratunge says that the responsibility of the mass media is to provide education and knowledge towards a comprehensive information society. more..

Sep 17 (IL) The Ashraff Congress yesterday called upon all factions of the SLMC to work out a plan and reunite the party, as this is the best respect the SLMCers and the Muslim community on the whole can pay to the party's founder leader M.H.M. Ashraff, who's fourth death anniversary falls today. more..

Sep 17 (IL) The EPDP which has been at the receiving end of attacks from the LTTE, yesterday claimed that the LTTE will continue its delaying tactics as it does not believe in 'an honest or sincere commitment' to a political settlement to the country's two decade long ethnic conflict. more..

Sep 17 (IL) The President has retracted an initial pledge of going ahead with the Upper Kotmale Hydro Power project and has agreed to the CWC demand of abandoning this 150 MW power project, as part of a 13-point deal struck between the Government and CWC. more..

Sep 17 (NW) The new Chief of Defence Staff and Navy Commander Daya Sandagiri said yesterday the SLN was the countrys only Navy that could use the territorial waters and no other force could claim that it shared this authority. more..

Sep 17 (NW) Countries that participated at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games that were concluded a fortnight ago, including the United States, have appointed commissions and ad hoc committees to evaluate the success and disappointments of their respective contingents in order to identify what strengths and inadequacies they had on completion of the Olympic Games. more..

Sep 17 (NW) Bhikkus of the Jathika Sangha Sammelanaya who staged a demonstration against the Buddhasasana Minister's alleged lack of concern over issues relating to the Buddha Sasana had to face a tirade from Ministry Secretary G. W. Abeywickrama when they called on him to hand over a memorandum to him at the Ministry yesterday. more..

Sep 17 (NW) Senior CWC members yesterday called upon all parties committed to the peace process to snub the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and resume peace talks based on the LTTEs Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA). more..

Sep 17 (CI) Ahead of Sri Lanka's match against England at the Rose Bowl, Marvan Atapattu advised his batsmen: "play your natural game. That has been your success." Atapattu seemed relaxed and quietly confident when he spoke to the media on the eve of the England match. more..

Sep 17 (LBO) Electricity tariffs will go up by about seven percent from November 1, with no price change for domestic users who fall under the 90 unit band. The CEB had asked for a flat Rs. 7.70 for domestic users. But cabinet had watered it down, as about 75 to 80 percent of domestic users fall under the 90-unit category. more..

Sep 17 (LBO) The special labour-rights based duty cuts for Sri Lankan exports into the European Union will hold until end 2005, but renewal of concessions will be much harder. According to the Commerce Department, Sri Lanka is already reaping the benefits of the special trade incentives from the EU based on its high labour standards. more..

Sep 17 (AN) TEACHING karate in the heart of Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger territory would not be top of the list for most martial artists. But Leigh Smith is not your average sensei and, as foreign liaison officer for the UK Traditional Karate Federation and the World Shotokan Institute, he is packing for his biggest challenge to date. more..

Sep 17 (SLA) Three fishermen went for fishing from the PASAYUR jetty, JAFFNA on 15 September 2004 on a dinghy had been arrested by LTTE men while they were in KALMUNAI Point area. LTTE men had detained those fishermen, all three from PASAYUR area alleging that those fishermen entered the LTTE areas without obtaining permission. more..

Sep 17 (SLA) Troops on duty at the MUHAMALAI Entry/Exit point allowed the passage of the remains of a female LTTE cadre, ANANDA RASA SUJINDRA on 16 September 2004 accompanied by Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) officials. more..

Sep 17 (wsws) The Sri Lankan economy is reeling under the impact of high world oil prices, a severe drought and political uncertainty stemming from fears of a return to civil war. The resultant rise in prices, erosion of jobs and pressure for further privatisation and more..

Sep 17 (NW) Gehuwoth Padamata" a new variety of kasippu has been invented by the boot-leggers in the Wadduwa area as the price of legal liquor has shot up. The new drink is said to be manufactured from sugar, fermented toddy, dates and other ingredients. more..

Sep 17 (LBO) Moving on from sewing house to hi-tech performance apparel, Sri Lanka is probably a little known story behind the Athens Olympics most famous swimsuit, the Fastskin. Modelled on sharkskin with its dermal ridges to reduce drag, the two toned, super-stretch suits are designed for contest, where a second can make a winner. more..

Sep 17 (AFP) Sri Lanka, better known for its black tea, is now venturing into the more exotic green variety with an eye on Japanese and European markets. The black and green variation in tea is what red and white is in wines, tea experts say. more..

Sep 17 (NS) Eight professors from Sri Lanka will be visiting NIU for leadership and development training. They will arrive in DeKalb Monday to participate in a three-week outreach program for non-governmental organizations and development of local leadership. more..

Sep 17 (SLBC) Petroleum producing countries have come forward to grant price concessions to Sri Lanka. Minister of Finance Dr. Sarath Amunugama said that member nations of the OPEC have responded positively to his request. The Minister had discussions with representatives of oil producing countries in Vienna recently. more..

Sep 17 (DN) President Chandrika Kumaratunga in her capacity as the Minister of Education has taken steps to provide Rs.562.2 million for the improvement of facilities at Ruhuna and Peradeniya universities. more..

Sep 17 (AFP) Sri Lanka expressed concern over truce violations by Tiger rebels as a top Norwegian envoy prepared to return home empty-handed after failing to end the island's talks deadlock, officials said. more..

Sep 17 (NT) P S Packiyanthan, a convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case and brother of Nalini, one of the four whose death sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court, today entered into wedlock at a self-respect nuptial ceremony on the 126th birth anniversary of Periyar E V Ramasamy Naicker. more..

Sep 17 (CI) The grey clouds that have been around all morning opened up at the Rose Bowl, as the ground was first covered in drizzle and then drenched in a downpour. The players left the field at the end of the 32nd over, and with more bad weather on the way, the likelihood of play resuming any time soon is remote. more..

Sep 17 (TN) Norway's special peace envoy Mr. Eric Solheim Friday had discussions with editors of the Sinhala dailies Lankadeepa and and Lakbima and the Tamil dailies Thinakkural and Sudar Oli about the current peace impasse in Sri Lanka. more..

Sep 17 (LBO) Tourist arrivals from East Asia, including Japan and China dipped in August, taking total tourist numbers down over record arrivals in July. August saw over 48,000 people visiting Sri Lanka, a 15.3 percent increase for the same month last year, driven largely by key markets India and the UK. more..

Sep 17 (LBO) The government will release one mn cubic metres of sand from the Colombo-Katunayake highway stockpile in Kerawalapitiya to meet Colombo’s demand for sand. “We have obtained Cabinet approval to release sand from the stockpile at Kerawalapitiya,” more..

Sep 17 (Reuters) England and Sri Lanka must return to the Rose Bowl on Saturday to complete their Champions Trophy Group D decider after persistent rain meant only 32 overs were bowled on Friday. Opener Marcus Trescothick had struck an unbeaten and streaky 64 to steer England to 118 for three before the rain came down. more..

Sep 18 (TN) The Liberation Tigers in Batticaloa will meet Sri Lankan armed forces on Wednesday, 22 September, informed sources in the eastern district said. The meeting was postponed twice since last month. Tigers indicated the new date following the return of Mr. E. Kousalyan, head of LTTE's political division for Batticaloa-Amparai District on Thursday. more..

Sep 18 (TN) A group of Sinhala journalists Friday visited several welfare centres in the Jaffna district where large number of internally displaced families (IDP) are given shelter and inquired from them their difficulties living as refugees, civil group sources said. more..

Sep 18 (TN) A team of officials of the UNDP Friday held a review in Jaffna regional office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) on progress made in implementing several development projects in the Jaffna district, sources said. more..

Sep 18 (AT) The SLMM at last succeeded in their effort to fix a date for the meeting between the Security Forces Chiefs and Tiger leaders in Batticaloa to put an end to the killing in the district with LTTE conveying the message that they were ready to fix the meeting for next Wednesday. more..

Sep 18 (AT) It is clear to Sri Lanka watchers that the LTTE upped the ante when it put up its elaborate proposal for the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) a year and a half ago in its peace parleys with the Sri Lanka Government. more..

Sep 18 (BBC) Sri Lanka captain Marvan Atapattu has expressed surprise that English counties have not approached his side. More than 60 overseas players have featured in county cricket this year, but not a single one was Sri Lankan. more..

Sep 18 (Hindu) India's first woman High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Nirupama Rao, today presented her credentials to the Sri Lankan President, Chandrika Kumaratunga. Ms. Rao, a career diplomat, who joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1973, more..

Sep 18 (Rupavahini) Stern action will be taken against wholesale traders who failed to supply essential commodities to the market speedily. The minister of consumer affairs Jeyaraj Fernandopulle said that the government will take action against such traders within two weeks. more..

Sep 18 (NW) The Defence Ministry in a stern communication has asked the LTTE to move back its camps around Trincomalee by three kilometres, a Defence Ministry official said. The army has informed the National Security Council that existing LTTE camps and bunkers along the Sampur coastal belt could scare away commercial vessels calling at the harbour. more..

Sep 18 (NW) In a bid to restructure the intelligence units, all intelligence divisions attached to the military and police will come under Military Intelligence Director General Brigadier Kapila Hendawitharana, military sources said. more..

Sep 18 (NW) A surprise drive launched by Colombos Acting Mayor Azath Salley backed by municipal workmen and several Police contingents to demolish unauthorised structures in the city ended in a flop in some areas soon after the Municipal Commissioner declared the drive illegal. more..

Sep 18 (NW) The Ministry of Education is to monitor international schools to ensure that they maintain a standard of education that complies with national standards. Cabinet has passed approval to the Ministry to monitor and supervise international schools under the criteria currently used for national schools. more..

Sep 18 (NW) The entire 23-member Sri Lankan handball squad that decamped on a tour of Germany have been arrested and detained by German police as they attempted to slip out into Italy yesterday. more..

Sep 18 (NW) A massive emigration racket at the Katunayake Airport reportedly involving airport and airline employees came to light when the CID arrested 31 passengers with forged British passports at the transit lounge of the airport on Thursday. more..

Sep 18 (LT) The Government has decided to do away with the 9% tax for the import of rice. This decision has been taken as a means of reducing the price of rice in the market. The Government also says rice will be imported within the next two weeks. more..

Sep 18 (LT) A National fisheries policy will be drawn up. The National fisheries policy will be prepared by a team of experts in the field. The public too can express their view and proposals for this and they should send in their views and proposals before the 1st of next month more..

Sep 18 (AT) The SLMM at last succeeded in their effort to fix a date for the meeting between the Security Forces Chiefs and Tiger leaders in Batticaloa to put an end to the killing in the district with LTTE conveying the message that they were ready to fix the meeting for next Wednesday. more..

Sep 18 (AT) Day of Peace 21 September - World Peace day to be celebrated in Sri Lanka and this may include a moment of silence, and public awareness activities in order to help establish a global day of peace beginning in every homes, in communities and between nations. more..

Sep 18 (HT) President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, on Friday said that the level of ties between her country and India should be expanded and raised to higher levels. The President conveyed this wish to the new Indian High Commissioner, Nirupama Rao, after accepting her credentials at the President's House. more..

Sep 18 (SLA) One thousand six hundred and twenty three (1623) lorry loads of food and other essential items had been dispatched to un-cleared areas in the northern province during the period between 10 September 2004 and 16 September 2004. more..

Sep 18 (SLA) Twelve Tae-kwondo players from the Army are to compete at the 16th Tae- kwondo tournament scheduled between 04-11 October 2004 in Germany, announced the Army Tae-kwondo Committee before those players met the acting Commander of the Army, Major General A. M.C. W. B Seneviratne more..

Sep 18 (SLBC) The cabinet has given approval to the proposal, which empowers the Ministry of education to utilize the national standards to supervise, and monitor the many types of international schools in the country. more..